Hey everyone, I just want to say I am amazed at all of your home theatre projects on here. Absolutely amazing. I wish I had the space and the money that a lot of you seem to have.

I'll set up where im at, I am happy with my setup as far as sound goes, I have a pioneer elite 1016 receiver, JM labs Speakers all around and a decent sub. I have a 360, wii and PS3 that will have to be incorporated as well as a 62" Toshiba DLP TV. The TV will be used for now until I can afford a projector but I plan to wire everything to be ready.

The attached is my existing Autocad plan of my basement (previously developed) that I want to convert part of into a dedicated theatre room. I have also included some pics as well as what I plan to do.

Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated keeping in mind I really dont have a budget for this(hahah). Sorry the second picture is rotated.

OK, so from the second diagram, it looks like you're adding a wall there (in red) and moving the laundry room wall. Based on your PM and you diagrams, I think thats where you're going. I don't understand the question above though. Are you talking about for sound isolation? The new walls will require pressure treated lumber on the bottom plate only. I don't think you need to add anything else unless code requires it.

There's Dricore (http://www.dricore.com) which is like a subfloor that will help keep the room warmer and protect against moisture. Youcan actually put that down and then build the new walls on top of it. People swear by it, but its not cheap.

Thanks guys. I dont have any problem with moisture so the drycore is probably a little overkill. Is pressure treated required?? Reason im asking is i removed the existing wall between laundry room and theatre and it was just regular.

Yes you understand my sketches (acad in a quick). I am adding the new red wall (planned staggered stud) and the purple one between theatre and family room (staggered stud). The other 2 walls of the theatre already have drywall and have been finished and painted. I was planning on adding another layer of drywall to each of those.

Gotcha. If you're double drywalling (for sound isolation) consider the Green Glue route. Helps to cut down the vibrations/sound transfer by 10x (or something like that). Others can pipe in here. Also make sure you at least insulate the new walls. What about teh ceiling? I assume that's already completed? Do you know if there is insulation in the ceiling?

Pressure treated is code down here, but its a local thing. I'd be surprised if it wasn't. Remember, its on required for the board that touches the cement.

Yeah I am gonna double drywall both walls that I am making and insulating both. I dont think I can go the green glue route..too expensive. Absolute soundproofing is not that essential the whole fam will probably be in there most of the time or in the adjoining playroom anyways.

Here are some progress demo pics from the past few nights demo...enjoy..hahah' Dont mind all the Sprite cans, cutting out aspertame, and caffeine.

Thanks guys. I dont have any problem with moisture so the drycore is probably a little overkill. Is pressure treated required??

Here's a reference from the international building code (parts of which could be superceded my your local municipality's code, but most of which should apply), backing up what chinadog mentioned - sole plates over cement need to be pressure treated lumber:

wow. now that is demolition. I just looked back at your plan and see that you are going to move the wall 3 feet back. Got-it. What are you going to do with the utility sink? Also, it looks like you might have to move the dryer exhaust tubing too.

Axiom speakers would be a good speaker to look at for in column use. Depending on how deep the columns will be, you might look at Ascends too.

Technically it's 47.5". Make sure you get the 1" stuff. Oh, not sure what Jason's been smokin'.. its more like 185 plus tax when I bought it (and his!). I hear it went up some, so may be in the 225.00 range.

IB is "infinite baffle". In general, the bigger the box for the subwoofer the more pressure it can apply for a given wattage. For instance, the Velodyne SPL series subs have tiny little enclosures and need huge amps (2000 watts) to keep up with a normal 500 watt sub. And IB takes this logic and goes the other way with it.

An IB setup uses a separate room or even the entire attic as the subwoofer "box".

Technically it's 47.5". Make sure you get the 1" stuff. Oh, not sure what Jason's been smokin'.. its more like 185 plus tax when I bought it (and his!). I hear it went up some, so may be in the 225.00 range.

I was having a bad day yesterday. I think all of the stain fumes are getting to me...

I don't think the laundry room would be a good place for an IB cavity. It would probably rattle everything in that room and that definitely add unwanted sounds to LFE scenes. Not to mention the wife would think that the washing machine was broken and shaking the house in the process as she frantically calls the repair man.

Yes. Wait. That should be one of the last things you buy. Price will most likely be down by the time your room is ready. You are looking at 3 - ??? months minimum.

If you want - there is a guy named Ben Harper on this forum. He has great prices on all kinds of Home Theater stuff. I buy all of my stuff from him. Let me know if you are interested in talking with him and I will give you his contact info. Good to have for when you are ready to buy stuff.

I would really look into it. If your going to hang cabinets there are certain "accessories" that may be needed. I don't beileve you can hang them directly to the metal studs. Different electrical boxes may be needed. You can't nail base board trim to metal studs, must use screws.

Benifits are also many. Easyer to move, lightweithg, no hole drilling needed for electrical, no saw dust.

Do some quick research, you'll find a ton of stuff on metal or steel studs. There are ways to do everything one would need to. It's probably just a matter of what your comfortable with. I have been considering metal studs, but have found that after lugging them into the basement, wood studs might be easier in the long run. Especially when trimming and hanging cabinets.